In 2018, several instances of confrontations between man and animal came to light from all parts of India. However, some of these matters had the power to shape public discourse.

New Delhi: With an ever-extending push to metropolitanization, natural habitats in India are facing the brunt of urbanisation. The constant nature of this change is leading to escalations being dubbed as the man-animal conflict across the country, several notable instances of which have dominated headlines for a large part of the year. We take this time to look back at confrontations between animals and human beings that shaped public discourse across India in 2018.

In Tamil Nadu's capital city, crocodiles reportedly swarmed Chennai's Nedungundram lake triggering panic amongst villagers living near the Tambaram and Velechery areas. According to reports by sections of the media, locals approached forest rangers and requested them to safeguard the area after a man who had gone into the lake to take a bath encountered a crocodile.

In Kerala's Kozhikode district, residents living near the Peruvannamuzhi dam have been terrorised in recent weeks by a herd of wild elephants who locals claim have been destroying their crops and posing a serious danger to their lives and to the lives of their family members. Residents say that not just elephants but wild boars and other animals also wreak havoc in the area interrupting daily life.

In November of this year, panic ensued at the Gujarat state secretariat in Ahmedabad after a leopard entered the secretariat compound causing mayhem. A team of forest rangers was rushed to the spot and managed to tranquilise and rescue the big cat following an operation which lasted for several hours. A similar incident was reported from the state's Surendranagar district where a leopard waltzed into a judicial magistrate court prompting advocates and passerby to run for their lives.

Gujarat: Leopard which had entered Secretariat premises in Gandhinagar early morning today, has been captured by officials of the Forest Dept. pic.twitter.com/TVrEE53y85

A report by the Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit (MMCU) stated that the number of reported marine animal deaths along the Konkan coast rose by a staggering 183 per cent since 2014. Findings by the body suggested that while 27 such deaths were reported in all of 2017, 34 cases of deaths of marine animals came to light in just the first nine months of 2018.

The most notable issue relating to the ongoing man-animal conflict in India this year was the death of two-year-old Tigress T1, more commonly known as tigress Avni in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district. The majestic cat was shot dead by a hunter who was accompanied by a team of forest rangers. However, a report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) shattered claims made by the Maharashtra government which told the Supreme Court that the tigress was shot dead and not tranquilised as directed by the top court because it was charging at the team which shot her. Avni's death triggered a spate of protests across the country with animal-rights activists among others organising massive protests.

Man-animal conflict escalations that grabbed our attention in 2018Description:In 2018, several instances of confrontations between man and animal came to light from all parts of India. However, some of these matters had the power to shape public discourse.Times Now